Enter Randy Riggs at Buffalo Wild Wings for a Sunday night football game; Colts vs. Bengals. My high school friend Beth was consistently one of the only girls who showed up with her boyfriend to this restaurant with "the guys" to watch every Colts game. Well, this night she had called me and pleaded for me to join. She knew I was more then likely sitting at home with nothing to do anyway. So needless to say I went and met Randy that night. I must admit I didn't give him much of my attention as he attempted to engage me in conversation that night. I was just simply not looking for a relationship at the time. So although polite and kind to introduce himself and ask about me, I just wasn't that interested.
Fast forward 2 weeks later. I joined my friend Beth at the same Buffalo Wild Wings with the same group of guys to watch the Colts play a Monday Night game. Low and behold, Randy was there and to my surprise remembered my name. I have to be honest, I asked my friend to remind me who he was. See the first time I met Randy he was dressed very nice (just coming from his nieces baby dedication) and this night he was much more relax and casual; wearing a Colts jersey & furry beaver hat *smile*. Some how he charmed his way into getting my number that night.
We dated a year, engaged 6 months, married May 18, 2007 and I moved into his house in Knighstown after we returned from our honeymoon in Jamaica. Randy worked as a Funeral Director while managing one of the two funeral home locations; Hinsey Brown. I left my job as Marketing Coordinator with Carpenter Realtors and started working at our church as a secretary for 2 of our pastors on staff, Pastor Troy Hochstetler & Worship Pastor Brian Tabor.
While serving and ministering with our home church God started burdening my heart as well as my husbands to do more. The church we attended was a commuter church and we felt the Lord guiding us to make a move to the neighborhood that surrounded our church. We figured what better way to follow up with people, who our church is reaching out to, then to live with them and be there outside of church hours. Well, for the next 2 years we sought after the Lord and godly council and the Lord lead us to be House Parents to troubled youth at Mooseheart. Mooseheart resides just west of Chicago and we were privileged to be House Parents to 10 amazing high school girls.
Although this isn't a faith based organization we were able to share openly with these girls about our love for the Lord. Although this "detour" didn't really make sense at the time we had no doubt that this is where the Lord wanted us to move to. While we were there the Lord continued to confirm in our hearts that our journey wouldn't stop at Mooseheart; he still wanted us in the city helping the urban poor. While at Mooseheart we listened to many pod casts of Francis Chan, Pastor (at the time) of Cornerstone Church, Author of "Crazy Love" and "Forgotten God" and board member of World Impact. This particular pod cast Francis Chan had a guest speaker, Dr. Keith Phillips, President and founder of World Impact.
We must have had our jaws on the ground as we heard Dr. Keith Phillips speak. FINALLY! All the things the Lord had been molding our hearts to believe what ministry should look like was everything he was describing as the philosophy of World Impact. Well, we quickly got online and looked up World Impact and made contact with the City Direct in St. Louis. World Impact is in 10 major American Cities and so we selected the one closest to us.
Well, through various circumstances the Lord confirmed North St. Louis is where he wanted us. We broke the sad news to our 10 high school girls but used this opportunity to live out what we had been saying to them for the past year. As a follower of Christ we are submitting to his purpose and calling on our lives and so we must go. Did I mention I was 8 month pregnant when we moved? Well... we moved, we had our beautiful daughter Mona 3 weeks later and a year and a half later we are in the process of officially becoming missionary staff while my husband serves as St. Louis' new City Director.
Randy, Hannah and our daughter Mona
